The 50km Matroosberg Revenge! is sadly not included in the Matroosberg Trail Challenge.

We are sad to have to remove the Ultra from the MTC 2014 offering BUT hosting it as a separate event in early 2015 would be a much better option. The race will have a new start location and a completely new route.

The 14km route is relative flat and can be considered a ‘fun’ run compared to the 24km and 37km routes. So, because of its flat nature, it is also a fast run! The 2012 race was won in a blistering time of 55mins by Jacob Volmoer, a local runner.

We considered amending the route just to slow it down a bit but decided to leave it as is. If any changes will be made to the route, we will inform you as soon as possible.

The 24 km Challenge is a run straight up the mountain to a height of just over 2000m. It starts off on an open jeep track to spread the field out before you hit the single track. The steep climb starts at around the 4km mark and will take you to the 10km mark at Conical Peak.

The 37km route is classified as a SkyMarathon® and is a tough one. It starts off with fairly open road with some single track before the first major climb. From about 4.5km at a hight of 1125m above sea level, you’ll follow the steep and challenging 4×4 route to Conical Peak (+2000m).

There is only about 2km from the checkpoint to the Matroosberg Peak (2249m) but it will feel like 10km because of the thinner air. If you’re first here, you’ll be crowned King or Queen of the Mountain!

Matroosberg Trail Challenge | Challenge yourself!!

The inaugural Matroosberg Trail Challenge was a refreshing reminder of why trail running is such a great sport. A low key race without much hype – just a few tough nutters running up and down a mountain in freezing weather. The route was amazing and although we couldn’t tag the summit due to the weather there were few complaints. Climbing straight up the mountain off the starting line was breathtaking in more ways than one! Taking in the views of the snow covered peaks when they appeared briefly between the clouds was spectacular. Descending in crunchy snow was a new experience for most of us and added some extra spice to the fast technical drop back towards warm food and a well deserved cuppa.

The race was well organised with simple registration process, good communication and fantastic prizes. Well done to Ghaleed and his team for creating a truly memorable experience. I will be back for more for sure.

~ Michael Owen – 2012 Matroosberg Trail Challenge Winner and and King of the Mountain